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Need to load OS on machine with no

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Name: PStephens6
Date: October 20, 2008 at 07:02:28 Pacific
OS: None
CPU/Ram: P4 / 1 GB
Product: Dell Laptop
Comment:

I need to load an OS on a laptop with no CDRom drive. We will be using this strictly on a network in our office for email / web and word processing only. I have the OS disk but unable to load due to lack of CD drive. Is it possible to load this across a network by installing, say, Linux or other and then installing image from our network? I have never run into this particular issue and this is a time sensitive issue as we need another machine up in the next day or two.
Boss does NOT want to spend $60-70 for a replacement CDRom.
Thanks for any advice.

Press CTRL-ALT-DEL now for an IQ test. - Anon



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Response Number 1
Name: Beginner1
Date: October 20, 2008 at 07:49:42 Pacific
Reply:
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Response Number 2
Name: PStephens6
Date: October 20, 2008 at 08:09:58 Pacific
Reply:

Thanks, but I would need Windows Server or 2000 which I do not have. I can image the XP Pro disk and place it in a shared directory on our (Win XP Pro) file server, but I can't access the network unless I have drivers and networking capability... so...
Back to the question. Is it possible to install windows under Linux or another OS (this OS would have to be able to install from floppy or thumb drive).

Thanks again for any information available on this issue... and yes, I did google this. I am a Computer Tech by trade, but haven't ever run into this particular issue before.

Press CTRL-ALT-DEL now for an IQ test. - Anon


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Response Number 3
Name: Beginner1
Date: October 20, 2008 at 08:24:12 Pacific
Reply:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/

I would have to say install the os on the thumb drive from a different computer, and then put it in the computer in question, do what you need to do.

Jim R


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Response Number 4
Name: PStephens6
Date: October 20, 2008 at 08:36:23 Pacific
Reply:

Thank you Jim, this is what I have been looking for. Apartently I was using the wrong search terms in Google. When I used "Pendrive Linux" it came up on top... duh.

I believe this is what I needed. I will give it a whirl today and let you know what I discover.

Thanks again for the assistance.

Press CTRL-ALT-DEL now for an IQ test. - Anon


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Response Number 5
Name: wanderer
Date: October 20, 2008 at 08:37:24 Pacific
Reply:

Usually Dell has a recovery partition. Why aren't you using it? Or did this laptop not come with xp on it?

Take the laptop drive out and place it in a usb external drive case. Copy the OS cd to the drive. Put it back in the laptop. Boot via floppy or other and run the OS install.

If you only have a dos boot diskette the drive will need to be fat32 to be accessed. You can convert to ntfs later.

Alternately you can put a cdrom in a usb external case. Connect to the laptop and boot the usb drivers for it then copy to the laptop and then run install.


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Response Number 6
Name: PStephens6
Date: October 20, 2008 at 08:50:09 Pacific
Reply:

We suffered a fatal mechanical hdd failure and replaced the drive (which had XP on it).

External devices are out as boss won't spend more money on this particular machine.

We have usb thumb drive (8 GB) and a server to transfer ISO or other image to drive. However, I cannot boot from usb on this particular model laptop so I need a working OS of some sort and networking capability to access the server and therefore the ISO of Win XP Pro (which I have on disk).

Thanks for the assistance though... glad to see this community actually reads people's posts and responds unlike some other forums I tried.

Thanks again.

Press CTRL-ALT-DEL now for an IQ test. - Anon


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Response Number 7
Name: clive_pearce
Date: October 20, 2008 at 10:48:14 Pacific
Reply:

http://www.vandomburg.net/installin...

Before posting try google. Backup. Use anti virus software.


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Response Number 8
Name: wanderer
Date: October 20, 2008 at 12:36:27 Pacific
Reply:

"I cannot boot from usb on this particular model laptop "

That makes booting from usb pointless since it can't boot.

Your only option is to make a floppy diskette boot that contains usb drivers.
This way you can use the usb device to store the files you want to copy to the hard drive.

perhaps this link can get you started
http://www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm

Your boss will pay you more to work on this then the cost of the cdrom. Might want to mention that to him.


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Response Number 9
Name: btk1w1
Date: October 20, 2008 at 13:25:31 Pacific
Reply:

Honestly, I would temporarily take a cd ROM drive from another pc and put it in the machine just to install the OS. Even if I had to bring it in from home.

It would be far easier and less time consuming.


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Response Number 10
Name: jefro
Date: October 20, 2008 at 14:12:53 Pacific
Reply:

The easy way is to get a good knoppix disk and load it on another machine. Start knoppix terminal server. Add in driver for the laptop nic if needed. (a few versions of knoppix have a pxe bug so it doesn't work. Try 4.3-4.8 or 5.3)
Boot laptop to pxe either by bios selection or F key or make a gpxe boot floppy.


Otherwise see barts network boot disk.

"Best Practices", Event viewer, host file, perfmon, antivirus, anti-spyware, Live CD's, backups, are in my top 10


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Response Number 11
Name: Intel 80486 (by meisinscotland)
Date: October 21, 2008 at 05:51:53 Pacific
Reply:

btk1w1... this is a laptop :)

Medion MIM 2080
Toshiba T2130CT
Macintosh Performa 450

All working wonderfully.


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Response Number 12
Name: btk1w1
Date: October 21, 2008 at 09:12:43 Pacific
Reply:

ahhhh..... sorry, I didn't read your post properly


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